Demon, Book I: Link
by writerchic16
Summary: Demons after Fi trap her family in a familiar virtual world. While Molly and Jack try to stay alive, Fi and the Bells go after them into the internet itself.
1. Prologue

**Demon**

Summary: Demons after Fi trap her family in a familiar virtual world. While Molly and Jack try to stay alive, Fi and the rest of the rescue party go after them into the internet itself.

A/N: And here I am again, starting another So Weird epic. When will I ever learn? Apparently not now, as I've once again been bitten by the So Weird bug and won't get over it until I post another fifteen or sixteen chapter story. Actually I don't really know how long this is going to be. Yet last time I swore it wasn't going to be long and it ended up longer than my first one, so who knows.

But anyways, this is my take on what would have been the original Season 3 opener. I also do have a rough sketch in my head of what the entire season would be like…okay, really maybe the next couple of seasons…but there's no way I'm doing that. Sorry kids, unless I go completely nuts (which could happen, not gonna lie) this is all you're getting. However I will try to wrap up what I came up with in this story.

All that said, on with the prologue.

* * *

**Prologue**

They walked back in silence.

Tears ran down Fi's cheeks. She'd started crying again after realizing how close she'd come to falling to her death. The elation of finally talking to her father ebbed somewhat when she started replaying the incident in her head, seeing the demon's three faces that she was sure would haunt her memory for years to come. In all her experiences, all her encounters, she'd never faced something that so outright wanted to kill her that it would lure her to the top of a Manhattan roof…

Her eyes widened as she glanced at her aunt to her left. Those messages…why would they have been sent by her father when she'd ended up almost killed? Why would he have told them to meet him on a rooftop? Did he intend to meet them there, but then the demon intercepted? It was a possibility, but her dad had said that he could only see her in times of great danger. The only reasoning that worked out in Fi's head was that the demon found out about the code and channeled Aunt Rachel to make them think her father was sending the messages.

She cursed herself for being so stupid, for being so excited about the mere possibility of contact from her father that she didn't think of all angles. But to be fair, she had no way of knowing that a specific demon was out to get her. And she did have a habit of being reckless when it came to paranormal investigations.

A habit she was now determined to break.

Meanwhile, Jack and Rachel were each lost in their own, different thoughts.

Jack was overwhelmed with guilt and self loathing. He should've been there earlier…should've…should've…should've _done something_ other than stare up from the top floor window in complete horror while his baby sister dangled from a rooftop. As her older brother, he was her protector. Well, he did a lousy of job of that, didn't he? She was about to fall and he hadn't been able to pull her back up.

His father had to step in instead.

Yes, he admitted to himself that his father _had_ been there in spirit. He'd…he'd felt the familiar presence. Now, this was not saying that Jack had come around full circle and turned into a believer in the paranormal. But he couldn't deny Rick's presence, and wouldn't when Fi surely mentioned it later. It was the least he could do after he wasn't there for her.

Her whole body shaking, Rachel tried to make sense of what happened. After all, she was a lawyer. It was her profession to fit together a plausible sequence of events that worked in her favor…or, in this case, at least added up to form a reasonable picture.

See, unlike Fi or even Jack, she wasn't used to this. She hadn't experienced anything paranormal since the times when Rick would ask for her help. And he had. Sometimes he'd drag her along on ghost hunts or whatever hunts because he claimed she made him mentally stronger. She'd looked at him like he was insane back then…but she usually went anyway. They were chances to spend time with her "older" brother, occurrences that became fewer and farther between in the later years.

And now here she was, chasing messages she'd "channeled" herself. How had she done that, anyway? Did that make her some kind of medium?

Oh, God, she was losing it.

Post traumatic stress disorder, that was it. She was in shock after watching her niece come close to death. That was certainly understandable.

Back to figuring out what happened…okay, first, the door mysteriously slammed shut after her, locking Fi on the roof. Jack came out of nowhere and demanded to know what was going on. They heard a scream from Fi and dashed to the window on the lower floor's landing and look out…

Only to be more shocked and horrified than they'd ever been in their lives.

Who was she kidding? None of this made any sense, and none of it ever would.

They came to stand in front of the studio building's door. The trio watched while people went in and out, going into elevators or choosing to climb the stairs, approaching the front desk for information.

Rachel, Jack and Fiona shared overwhelmed glances. How could everyone still act so normal when their own lives had been turned upside down?

Rachel had seen the supernatural at work.

Jack had failed as his sister's protector.

And Fiona had the knowledge that a demon wanted her dead.


	2. Prologue II

A/N: I meant for this to be part of the prologue, but I got to the current ending and I realized that I _had_ to stop it there. The effect was just too good! So, because of that, we now have two prologues, lol. But don't worry, the next part will jump to about a month later – the "Twin" episode won't be the focus of the whole story.

So, I'm realizing this may be "darker" than my other fics…which are all humor though, so I doubt it'll get too deep. Probably the prologue will be as serious as it comes, maybe more, who knows. But, whatever, it'll be a different experience for me.

* * *

**Prologue II**

The rest of the group sat in the dressing room, sitting at the average-sized round table in the corner. Carey strummed some chords on a guitar while Ned gave feedback, as Irene talked on her cell phone to other producers who wanted Molly to appear on their talk show while she was in town. Despite Irene asking her questions in an effort to keep up a semi-three way conversation, Molly wasn't enthusiastic about the prospect of another gig.

She was too worried about her daughter to care about her career.

After a whole lifetime of psychic experiences, she knew when she had a premonition. They were rare, and only came when her own family was in trouble. But they were premonitions just the same.

And this particular one told her that some…_thing_, she hadn't really gotten a glimpse of it…pushed her only daughter off the roof of a building.

Her realistic side told her it was only a trick her mind was playing on her, a daydream. After all, psychic visions were considered by most to be paranormal, and she wasn't supposed to believe in any of that. That was what she claimed, right? Didn't she always tell Fi that?

But if that was true then…_where was Fiona_? Why weren't she and Rachel in their seats? The only reason she wasn't pacing with frantic worry right then was because she knew Jack would find them and make sure they were okay. Jack tortured Fi most of the time, but when he was in "big brother mode" there was no one else she'd rather have around.

Though they were supposed to be preoccupied, Ned, Irene and Carey each glanced at Molly with concern when they thought she wouldn't notice. They all knew Molly was panicked about _something_. They'd seen her face during the performance, the way she'd sent Jack off, her nonchalance at the chance of more work. But when they asked, she never gave a satisfying answer to explain her level of anxiety.

Finally, Irene finished the call with the producers, placed the phone back on the table, and glared at her employer. "Mol, will you just tell us what's _wrong_? That whole 'something's wrong but I have to keep it secret' attitude you get sometimes is _really_ unnerving, not to mention _annoying_."

"I'm with her," Ned was quick to add. He'd been dying to ask but didn't want to be the first one to cave. "Of course, I might've asked a little nicer…"

Briefly redirecting her glare at Ned, Irene glanced at Molly and pressed, "Come on, what could possibly be bothering you? The song could not have been better, you've already got another gig lined up, what…"

"Mrs. P, I'm sure Fi's fine," Carey interrupted. "You know her. She gets these crazy ideas in her head and chases after 'em. She'll probably turn up with a riveting story about how she confronted 'the ghost of ANC studios,'" Carey finished with a mocking note to his voice, referencing the channel's studio they were in.

Molly was not amused. "Carey! That's not funny!"

"I thought it was," Carey muttered, honestly surprised at her reaction.

Confused, Irene asked, "Fi's missing?" She'd been watching the show from backstage and hadn't seen the two empty audience seats. She was also on the phone at the time when Molly freaked out before going onstage.

"No, not _missing_," Ned answered. "But she and Rachel ran off somewhere before the show began and haven't been back yet. Mol, I'm sure they're fine. Fi's with Rachel – it's not like she'd wandering around Manhattan alone."

But that had no effect on Molly. To everyone's surprise, the singer got out of her chair and shook her head at them. "You don't understand! I don't just think something's wrong, I _know_, I _saw it happen_! Fi's in trouble somewhere and I couldn't do anything about it!"

"Saw…what happen, Mol?" Irene asked. "What are you talking about?"

Molly's jaw dropped, realizing what she'd let slip. "I-I…I mean…I…

"Hey, do you know where Molly Phillips went? We're her kids, and…."

"Oh, thank God!" Molly exclaimed at hearing her son's voice outside. He'd said 'her kids,' which meant Fi was with him…and alive. Throwing open the door, she and the Bells ran out into the large backstage area.

She stopped short when the saw the state the three of them were in. Behind her, both Carey and Ned's mouths were agape and Irene had gasped.

Jack's face was set with pain that could've been guilt. Rachel was trembling yet attempting to give them a reassuring smile at the same time. And Fi was verging on sobbing, tears streaming down her face – she seemed to be terrified.

After recovering from the shock, Molly wrapped both her children in a tight embrace. "I'm so relieved," she said, not wanting to let go. "Fiona, don't you ever go off like that again!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Fi said, burying her head into her mother's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I was so stupid…I didn't know…it was waiting for me a-and…"

Also close to tears himself, Jack added, "I'm sorry too…I couldn't call when I found her, I left my cell phone…"

"Sh, it's okay, you can explain later. I know," Molly said.

Meanwhile, Ned had gone to comfort Rachel. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Rachel said, then at a weak attempt at humor added, "I-I may be insane, but I'm fine."

Glancing at Rachel and then at the still-hugging Phillips family, Carey said, "I hate to interrupt the tearful reunion, but…people are starting to stare."

The seven of them looked up at the various stage hands and station employees around them and found that Carey was right. Most were trying not to look on but some had no shame in staring with bewildered expressions.

"Oh, looks like we're putting on a show," Irene remarked, then made a sweeping gesture with her arm. "Come on, everybody, let's take the dramatics inside."

* * *

He fumed.

Floating outside the window of the dressing room his chief foe resided in, his anger…no, his fury…increased ten fold.

All that planning. For months, he'd had his minions do the research. _Find it,_ he'd hissed, thousands of times. _Find that one way to dispense of her._ He knew the only way to defeat the Phillips girl would be to use her desire to see her father against her. That was her one weakness, the key to her ultimate destruction.

Then they'd found it. One of the minion's research turned up that Rick Phillips' left behind a twin sister. After working out the possibilities, they realized that she would be the vessel for their plan. They knew they had to use her to make it seem like the girl was getting messages from her dead father, but they didn't know how to ensure the deduction.

Then one of the demons came back to his lair after ransacking the sister's apartment. The demon had found a "twin code" in one of her old hatboxes and several letters written in the made-up language.

He'd used his power to make copies of both code and letters before congratulating the servant on a job well done…and telling the demon to put the letters and decoder back in their original places.

_It all went without a hitch_, he thought wistfully. _Sending the messages through the human, the girl bursting with naïve curiosity and optimism. She was ripe for the picking when she came to that rooftop._

But then Rick, that perpetual thorn in his side, had saved her. Again.

He was growing tired of his eternal foe. For a human, Rick had been surprisingly tough to take down in life. But then, when he and his demonic counterparts were celebrating the human's demise, they realized they had a problem with the girl. She'd picked up her father's nosy habit and was discovering their world bit by bit.

She had to be stopped.

But then whenever his side tried to harm her, Rick's ghost would block them with the ever annoying light of good as his power source.

He'd thought with this last plot, he would finally win this little feud. He managed to push the girl over the ledge of a Manhattan skyscraper. That almost guaranteed certain death. There was no way a ghost could intervene that would save her in time.

But then he hadn't anticipated the level of power Rick would be given to save her. A ghost taking on human form (without use of possession) was a rare feat on the side of good, the ability only given if necessary. For the human to be able to pull her up like that, the demon had received a clear message.

The girl was important to the grand design of good and had to stay alive at all costs.

Which meant she had to be destroyed.


	3. Chapter 1

A/N: By the way, if anyone's looking for an explanation why Annie isn't on the tour rather than accept the simple "AU" label, go read my one-shot "Return." It's my take on how the Annie season could be reversed so that it never happened.

Yes, that was shameless plugging.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"I just don't get it," Fiona said, lying back in her desk chair. About a month after the incident, she was past the 'I almost died' phase and onto the 'I need to know why I almost died' phase. "Why would something be after me to the extent that it would spend time plotting my death?"

Since recovering from the shock, she'd been on this mission to find out what the thing was that attacked her and what she had to do to destroy it. Every day her mother feared that Fi would end up killed, like her father – Fi knew those fears wouldn't be calmed if they knew something was waiting out there for the right moment to kill her. And it helped that Fiona had some of her own fear as well.

That fear was what drove her to the point of obsession over finding this thing. She didn't know what it was, where it was, what it was doing…which terrified her. Despite the weeks since the Manhattan trip, she spent most of her waking moments searching the web, asking around on her website, and grilling her aunts for information her father may have told them.

After all, he had to know what the thing…she'd been calling it an evil spirit for lack of more specific label…was. The way he'd explained about those jealous of the living made it seem, to her at least, that he knew about the world of evil beings. He might have possibly had the knowledge when he was alive – something had to kill him for a reason, since she'd learned that his death hadn't been a mere accident.

Fi gasped quietly. Had the spirit that tried to kill her…also killed her father? Had it been a demon that came back to finish what he started?

The thought sent chills down her spine.

"What?"

Startled, Fi whirled around in her revolving chair to face her bed. Carey had been sitting on it for a while after coming in to use her father's guitar. He claimed it sounded "cooler" than his own. The chords Carey had been playing faded into the background, however, while Fi alternated between typing and daydreaming. "What?" she replied.

"Did you say something?" Carey asked. "Just then, I mean. Not the really weird rant about whatever you believe is after you."

Fi rolled her eyes. "It _is_ after me, Carey. Something is. I just don't know what."

"You know, from what I've observed, huge birds don't hunt down their prey when it's left the state," Carey scoffed.

"For the last time, _it wasn't a bird_! I know what I saw!" Fi exclaimed. Then she let out a scream of aggravation when he only gave her a placating nod before going back to his music.

That was the explanation everyone had come up with that day in the dressing room. After Fi told them her whole story, there had been an awkward silence while her family switched from concerned for her well being to typical skepticism. All didn't know what to say. Finally Ned jumped in with the idea that the "big, black shadow creature" had been a giant black bird.

Everyone got on board with that for lack of a more sensible explanation. Except for Fiona, who protested as one by one they each voiced their support of that theory. Even Jack and Aunt Rachel left her high and dry. Her aunt Rachel was willing to believe anything that wasn't supernatural. And Jack, while he surprisingly admitted that their father had been there, he refused to go so far as to believe in the existence of evil spirits.

So now things were back to normal. Fiona was left on her own to research the creature determined to cause her death, while her family looked on in disbelief and concern for her mental health.

She was surprised when, in the mirror above her computer, she watched as a tear rolled down her cheek. The whole event last month seemed to leave her an emotional mess, only controlled when she was focused on her obsession to find the spirit.

But she understood her tears this time. She was finally getting to the breaking point – she couldn't stand it that her family didn't support her. That she had _no one_ to support her other than the members of her website.

Before she could wipe the tear away, Carey noticed and stopped his playing. "Fi…are you alright?"

"It's so...frustrating," Fi confessed. "I know you all wish that I was a normal teenager. That I would just give this up and we could all pretend that nothing strange had ever happened to our family. But…this is part of me, Carey. You all not accepting the paranormal, it's…it's like you don't accept me for who I am. Like you wish you had someone other than me here. Someone normal."

Carey stared at her. "I'm sorry, Fi," he finally said. "But…you have to understand where we're coming from. When you come up with your wild stories, we…we're overwhelmed, you know? None of us want to go through the long process of converting to a believer, so we take the easy way out and lose ourselves in denial. Don't you think that, every once in a while, each of us thinks…hey, maybe Fi's right? But then that leads us to a dark, scary place where demons and evil creepy crawlers exist and…we'd rather not go there. We like our world where vampires and ghosts and werewolves only exist in bad horror movies."

"Yeah, well Carey, I'd like to live in that world too," Fi replied with some bitterness. "But _I_ don't have that luxury, because _I_ see it all the time. Yeah, I could lose myself in denial, but at what price? My belief in my sanity? Carey, for me, I'd rather live in a world where the paranormal exists because for _me_, the alternative is too scary. Why do you think I have my website? Reading about other peoples' experiences is comforting in so many ways…it helps me believe that normalcy, not to mention mental instability, is subjective to everyone's individual opinion."

"That never occurred to me," Carey admitted. Then he put the guitar back on its stand and went to rest a hand on Fi's shoulder. "But if it helps, Fi, I like you just the way you are. Normalcy is really overrated, anyway."

"Ha ha, very funny," Fi grumbled, but smiled to herself as he went into the hallway.

* * *

Sitting at the Bell's kitchen table, Jack watched in amusement while Clu tried to fight for his case in an argument with Ned. Jack himself had come over to turn in a paper to Ned and decided to sit tight and watch the show. Even though this was his senior year, he'd be home schooling it once again since his mother had decided to put aside her fears about his sister and pick up the tour again in a couple of months.

Jack had the sneaking suspicion that the decision had been made due to the incident in Manhattan. It was then that they all realized it didn't matter if they were on the road or not – his sister would always keep digging into "the unknown." Shaking his head, Jack refocused on the argument at hand.

"But, Dad, it wasn't my fault I scratched the bus!" Clu protested. "At least, consciously anyway."

Ned raised an eyebrow. "Consciously? Now this I gotta hear."

"See, I was going to take the car to the video game store," Clu began. "But then, you told me I had to do grocery shopping, and that dinner was soon so I didn't have time to _go_ to the video game store. Now, on the _surface_, I was okay with it. But, subconsciously, my Id wasn't okay with it."

"Your _Id_?" Ned asked.

Clu nodded. "The Id is like, the part of you that wants to sit on the couch and watch TV all day, or skip class to go with friends to buy alcohol…not that I've ever done that or anything…"

"Of course not," Jack scoffed.

"So, you see what happened?" Clu asked. When Ned shook his head, Clu explained, "My Superego told me I was okay with it because it was the right thing to do. But my Id wouldn't let it go…so it made my hand slip on the steering wheel when I was parking the car in front of the bus."

Ned paused, taking in the reasoning. "Okay then. Tell your Superego that it's off the hook, but your Id has to pay for bus repairs."

"Aw, man," Clu groaned.

Letting out a loud chuckle, Jack said, "Nice try, man."

"I have to admit, it was a good effort," Ned agreed. "I'm gonna go clean out the garage some more. I'll tell you, with Molly not on the road, this time off is great."

"I don't know if Mom's enjoying it as much as you are," Jack said before he could catch himself.

At that, Ned said, "Well, of course she still has work to do with her CD. But I'm head roadie – when the bus stops, I stop. I'll see you boys later."

Once Ned left the room, Jack breathed a sigh of relief that Ned hadn't caught on to his somewhat cryptic meaning. "So, Clu, how long until you go back to college this time?"

"What's wrong with Mrs. P?" Clu asked instead.

Jack groaned. He forgot he was sitting next to his currently observant best friend. "It's…it's nothing, really. It's just that being home for so long isn't agreeing with her."

"You mean she's restless? Jumpy?" Clu guessed. When Jack nodded, Clu added, "I kind of see that. She doesn't stay in one place too long, even when we're all having dinner or something."

"She's probably eager to get back on tour. She did end it pretty fast. And it doesn't help that Fi's gone out of her mind," Jack reasoned. Then, eager to change the subject, he re-asked his previous question. "So how long until you go back?"

Grinning, Clu answered, "Tuesday morning – I've got Mondays off this semester. But I can't wait to go back 'cause this psychology course I'm taking is really cool."

"Really?" Jack asked. After pausing to consider the option, he decided to bring up something that's been bothering him for a while. "See, that's why I envy you, Clu. You're so into this philosophy stuff, and whatever other courses you take. Me…I don't have the foggiest idea what I want to major in when I start applying to colleges this year. Or even what I want to do with my life. And it doesn't help that everyone around me knows their passion and follows it – you and philosophy, Carey and guitar, my mom and singing, Fi and…weird stuff…"

Clu shrugged. "Dude, you just haven't found your rhythm yet, what makes you tick. You'll find it eventually. Just go with the flow until it hits."

"Oh, that'll sound good on a college application. 'For my major, I plan to…go with the flow,'" Jack said, finishing off the quote with an inaccurate imitation of Clu's laid-back way of speaking.

Laughing, Clu reminded him, "You don't have to declare a major, dude. Most freshmen don't. That's what college is for – figuring out what you want to do with your life."

"Yeah, I guess so," Jack replied. Maybe he was obsessing about this too much and should ease up a little. After all, he was only seventeen – he had five more years until he needed to worry about the real world. But he knew adapting that theory would be easier said than done. Deciding to think more about it later, he asked, "So, you never did get to the video game store, right?"

Clu pretended to consider the suggestion. "I don't know if I can. My Superego is telling me to do what my mom said and pick out the stuff I want to bring back to college, so I'm not going through my stuff Monday night."

"And your Id?" Jack asked, playing along.

Predictably, Clu grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and headed for the back door. "I'm driving!"

"2 – 0, Id," Jack joked as he followed his best friend out of the house.

* * *

Molly tapped her pencil on the notebook she had in her lap. She and Irene were in the Phillips' living room, going over various aspects of her music life after she released her CD. At the moment, they were talking about a new song Molly had been working on as part of her recently inspired plan to go in a different direction with her sound.

But so far, she wasn't liking it as much as when it first popped in her head. "I don't know, Irene," Molly said. "'One in a Million' seemed like it should've been such a happy, upbeat…almost a pop sound to it when I wrote it."

"And now?" Irene asked. She didn't look surprised by the sudden confession.

Molly should've expected the reaction. Her manager had been bewildered when Molly expressed her yearning for a more…well, bouncy quality to her music. Irene went along with it, but said right out that she didn't think it fit Molly at all and might throw off fans. Somehow Molly sensed that Irene only agreed to it to let Molly get her mood out of her system so that she would realize it wasn't right and go back to her regular stuff. And Molly was thankful for that. "I know, you're not shocked at all. I guess it was a mixed result from Fi returning safe that one day, and the success I experienced in Manhattan. But now that I look at 'One in a Million,' I think it's more about my relationship with Rick, and how I still feel him with me. The music for it needs to mellow out a little…maybe not slow, but not this pop beat it's got going for it."

"Thank God, she's come to her senses!" Irene exclaimed with a laugh. "I was waiting for that! I knew it'd only be a matter of time once we were home for a while."

Chuckling at her manager's relief, Molly said, "Sorry about that. It was a phase."

"Good," Irene said. Then she hesitated as if something ha just occurred to her. "What'd you mean by, 'how I still feel him with me'? In most cases that means that you still think about him a lot, which is understandable. But…sometimes, in the past…it's like you're haunted by him. Mol, I've been your best friend for a while, and I think I have a right to be worried here. I've seen you sometimes where you've had to run out of a room because everything around you reminded you of Rick."

Molly stared at her, hoping the expression on her face couldn't be easily read. Of course Molly knew that she thought about…well, obsessed over…Rick more than she should've over the years. His death in the accident was over ten years ago, after all. But something deep inside her couldn't get over him. For some reason, she couldn't leave her yearning for him locked away somewhere, like she could with more tangible memories like pictures or mementos.

No, she knew the reason. He wouldn't leave her alone. But she hadn't been able to let herself admit that, because if she did, she would then have to deal with the very real possibility of Rick's s ghost walking among them.

"Mol?" Irene pressed.

Letting out a deep breath, Molly decided at that moment to share her potential insanity. That way she could either confirm her husband's ghost's existence, or check herself into a mental hospital and be done with it. Putting down her notebook and pen, she faced Irene on the couch and began, "Okay, Irene, when…when your father died, did you…feel him? His presence?"

Irene thought about the question before slowly answering, "Um…yeah, I guess. Like when I would go into his old den or touch something that was his."

Molly brightened at that. "Really?"

"Yeah," Irene answered in an offhand manner. "It brought back memories of us together, and it comforted me. Like maybe he was up there watching over me. So in that way, yeah, I do sort of feel his presence."

Her momentary relief vanished, Molly sighed. _That wasn't the answer I was hoping for_, she thought. "No, I mean…do you ever see him, sometimes? Or hear his voice?"

"Not unless I'm watching a home video," Irene replied, her concern deepening. "Molly, what are you getting at? You're scaring me."

Molly once again let out a deep breath and braced herself. "Irene…I think I'm going crazy. I've always experienced this, but in recent years it's just gotten so much stronger."

"You've always experienced…what?" Irene asked, looking as if she were afraid to know.

"It's…it's Rick. I think…I think…" Molly steadied herself again and finally confessed, "I think Rick is haunting me. Literally _haunting_ me. I…I see him, everywhere, especially in the house. When I'm singing on stage, I sometimes hear his voice singing with me in a duet. It's…it's maddening and more than a little frightening."

Irene remained silent. Her expression was an odd mix between shock and not wanting to appear shocked. "Oh my God…"

"I know, I'm going straight to therapy, right?" Molly asked. She was surprised when Irene, instead of whipping out her cell phone and asking the operator for local therapist listings, began rummaging through a bag full of CDs – vocal recordings of her last few tour concerts. "What are you doing?"

"Ned and I thought we heard Rick's voice at your last performance during 'Another World.' We both thought we were losing it," Irene confessed. Finding the CD, she popped it in the nearby stereo. "Here. We had the people in editing zero in on 'Rick's voice' – we told them that it was one of the band members singing along."

She pressed play, then forwarded to the right song. While it played, Molly and Irene listened in absolute quiet.

Around the last verse a familiar male voice joined in with Molly's solo.

"Oh, God," Molly cried, from both surprise and relief. She wasn't hearing voices in her head – there was the proof, right there on the CD. "Please tell me you hear it too."

Irene nodded. "Ned and I did. But the weirdest thing was, we had to include it in the final 'Molly Phillips Encore Concert' CD because they couldn't edit it out. Then, when copies were made…there was no voice on any of the copies. The editing staff has been mystified ever since." Neither of them said anything for a moment before Irene asked the question they were both thinking. "What does this mean? Is Rick really…really…"

"Haunting me?" Molly finished for her. "I don't know. And if he is, I don't know what to do about it. But I do know we can't tell Fi." With the state her daughter was in at the moment, she knew that if she revealed the recording's existence, Fi would listen to it over and over until she drove herself mad. Now was the worst time to reveal any support of Fi's supernatural digging – not when she was in so deep.

"Of course not. You can't tell Fi."

Molly and Irene shared horrified looks. That statement hadn't come from Irene.

Slowly, they turned to stare in the direction of the stairs. Fiona stood there, shaking with anger, her face filled with hurt.

_Oh, no_, Molly thought, panic in her heart as she took in her daughter's fury. "Fi, baby, I –"

"Don't you 'Fi, baby,' me," Fiona snapped, causing both adults to jump. "You know how important Daddy's ghost is to me. But you've always said it was ridiculous, that I was crazy. Okay, I can deal with that. Believing in what I believe is hard for most people," Fi ranted. "But the _second_ you start to really think that I might be right, you hide it from me? Do you hate me, Mom? Do you want me to keep on thinking that I'm alone in this? Or did you worry that telling me would prolong the inevitable realization that I belong in a mental hospital?"

"Fiona, I do not think you belong in a mental hospital!" Molly shouted, standing up from the couch. "I worry about you, okay? I'm worried that you're letting this take over your life!"

"Well did it ever occur to you that I might want you to support me instead of worry about me?" Fiona yelled back. "You really don't care about me! Not as much as you do about being normal!"

With that, Fiona whirled around and stomped back up to her room. The sound of a door slamming was heard seconds later.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Molly tried to regain her composure. However, that all went out the window when she opened them.

Rick stood at the base of the stairs, glancing up after his daughter. He then stared at Molly, wearing a frown of disapproval…and a look that clearly said he recognized the familiar repetition of family history.

Molly gasped and shut her eyes tight. When they opened again, he was gone.


	4. Chapter 2

A/N: As you may have noticed, the title changed. Yes, I've decided to divide this epic into three parts of a "Demon" series – Link, Cyber, and Recovery. Keeping them all smooshed into one fic would get a little ridiculous. Heck, I'm on chapter 2 already, and I haven't even gotten to the beginning of the action. If this were to stay one piece, I predict it would be about twenty ten-page chapters long. This way, I don't feel I have to cut scenes or rush through certain parts because the fic is too long already. Yes, I know, there's nothing wrong with long fics, but I'm just not used to it and find this easier.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The constant waterfall of tears was really starting to tick her off.

Wiping her cheeks dry, Fiona forced herself to calm down while she curled up on her bed. An hour after the fight with her mother, and she was still furious. She refused to sink into another round of depression, panic, or self-loathing – feelings that had started to become common place after the incident. So to comfort herself, she had her laptop next to her on the bed and was chatting with members of her website.

It always amazed her that she received more support from strangers than her own family.

Speaking of which…

When she heard a loud knock, she childishly hurled one of her pillows at the door, screaming, "Go away!"

Carey's voice came through the door. "Fi? It's us."

"Us, who?" Fi asked. Although, she didn't see why she should've bothered – she wasn't in the mood to see any member of her family. "Never mind! Leave me alone!"

After a brief pause, Jack's voice was heard. "Come on, Fi, let us in! Mrs. B told us you and Mom had a fight. What'd you do?"

"If you're already on Mom's side, go ask her!" Fi screamed.

Though his voice was at a whisper, Fi heard Clu say, "Dude! Not helping!"

"Please, Fi?" Clu asked. "We come in peace!"

"And impartial!" Carey added.

Fi couldn't help but chuckle and got up to let them in. _If anything, they'll cheer me up,_ Fi thought as she opened the door. But she was frowning again the second they walked in the room. Carey picked up the fallen pillow and threw it back on her bed. "What do you three want? A play-by-play?" she snapped.

"Yeah, that would be good," Jack answered, and was hit on the shoulder by Clu. "What?"

"Way to be sensitive," Clu replied, he and Jack sitting on the edge of Fiona's bed.

Shaking his head at the antics, Carey grabbed a seat in her desk chair and asked, "We just wanted to come by to check if you were okay."

"Well, I'm not. Not that it makes a difference," Fi retorted.

Jack let out an exasperated groan. "What are you talking about now, Fi?"

"I'm talking about the fact that everyone around me cares about me, not _me_," Fi retorted.

The guys gave her blank stares. "I think you're gonna have to clear up that one," Carey said.

Fi acknowledged to herself that her reply had made no sense whatsoever. "What I mean is, all anyone cares about is protecting me or keeping me out of trouble. No one around here really cares about _me_ – supporting me, I mean. Everyone is so worried about keeping me safe that no one cares if I'm happy or not, as long as I'm 'okay' by general standards. Don't you people get that I'm old enough to make my own decisions about myself?"

"Fi, you're sixteen. And still go off to chase ghosts," Jack pointed out.

"So I guess that would be a 'no'," Fi retorted, then let out a deep sigh. "It just makes me so mad! All I want is someone to support me and no one does!"

"Hey, I believe you…most of the time," Clu argued.

Fi groaned. "There's a difference between 'supporting' and 'believing.' It doesn't matter if you believe me, if you still are against what I do."

"I still don't get it," Carey confessed. "Believing in the supernatural is kind of a big thing, isn't it?"

After thinking a brief moment, Fiona turned to him. "Okay. What if, for some reason, Mr. and Mrs. B were really against you playing guitar."

"They sorta were," Carey reminded her. It was clear in everyone's memory how angry his parents had been when he quit college to become the guitarist in Molly's band.

Nodding, Fi continued, "Yeah. Now, Carey, your parents knew you could play guitar and thought you were really good at it, right? And you knew that?"

"Sure, I did. Mom wouldn't have let me play a few of Mrs. P's gigs if she didn't think I was good enough," Carey answered.

"So, she believed in your musical ability…but she didn't support you when you decided to follow your dream of playing full time," Fi went on. She fought back a smug smile when understanding crossed his face. "How did that feel, Carey? Were you okay with just knowing your mom believed in you, or did you really want her to accept your decision?"

Carey gave Jack an apologetic look before answering, "I really wanted her to support me. I get it, Fi. You have to do what you have to do, and just wish that your family would understand that."

"But that's ridiculous!" Jack exclaimed while Fi smiled in triumph. "There's a big difference between wanting to play guitar for a living, and chasing ghosts that don't exist! One's admirable, the other's dangerous! One's courageous, the other's insane!"

"But dude, Fi knows that. She just has to do it 'cause that's what she's meant to do. It's her passion, man," Clu argued.

"And you wonder why I can't understand it?" Jack snapped. Then he stood up and turned to his sister. "You're the one who doesn't care, Fiona. You're so wrapped up in your own little imaginary world that you don't see what it does to the rest of us back on planet Earth. Don't _you_ care about how much your little hobby scares Mom? How much it scares _me_? Fiona, don't you realize that if you're too much like Dad, you could end up dead, just like him?"

Fi glared at her brother, clenching her fists at her sides. "Don't you _dare_ talk about Daddy like that."

His hands at his hips, Jack retorted, "It's a shame you don't have as much respect for the living as you do for the dead."

Then he turned around and walked out of the room.

There was silence afterwards. When almost a minute had passed, Carey coughed into his hands. As Clu and Fiona snapped out of their shocked trances, he said, "Uh, Jack didn't mean any of that."

"Oh, yeah, totally," Clu agreed. "He's just been a little bummed lately, you know? Stressing out about college and stuff."

Fiona shook her head and let out a depressed sigh. "Thanks, guys, but you don't need to defend him to me. If you don't mind, I just want to be alone right now."

"Uh, sure. See you tomorrow," Clu said, heading out the door.

Following his brother, Carey added a well-meaning, "Everything will be okay, Fi," before exiting into the hallway and quietly closing the door behind him.

Finally left alone, Fi flopped back down into her bed, her head landing on her pillow. Her laptop still open and running, she ignored it as she wallowed in general anger at her life before falling asleep.

* * *

The next day, the weekend, Molly found herself making dinner with Irene and Ned. When they weren't touring, the Bells were like extended family members, coming over for dinner or just hanging around the Phillips' house without invitation. It didn't bother Molly at all. In fact, there were times where she liked to think of the Bell couple as the maternal aunt and uncle her kids never had.

However, at the moment they were sounding boards more than anything else.

"Who does she think she _is_?" Molly ranted, chopping some zucchini for a stir fry with more energy than needed. Every thirty seconds or so, a loud _crack_ sounded as the knife sliced through the innocent vegetable onto the wooden cutting board. "Accusing me of not caring about her? My own _daughter_? Ever since she started with this obsession, all I've _done_ is worry about her! 'Where is she now?' 'What's she up to?' 'Why is she researching ESP on the computer?' It drives me nuts because she's always getting herself in trouble! Trouble that she doesn't need to get into! And all because she believes in these theories a-and wild ideas!" Molly paused her chopping to catch her breath. In a quiet, almost whine, she said, "Why is this happening again? Why does this obsession plague my family?"

Irene and Ned traded concerned looks. With a deep sigh, Irene reached over and took the knife from her best friend's hand. "I don't know, Mol. But I do know that you shouldn't be holding a knife right now."

"What?" Molly asked. Then she glanced down at the cutting board, seeing it for the first time in five minutes. Instead of neat slices, there were pieces that varied from tiny strands to large, oddly shaped chunks. "Oh, right." Trying to calm herself down, she went over and reached for Ned's beer.

Previously sitting at the counter island, Ned grabbed the beer can away before Molly's fingers could touch it. "And I'll take this. I think a relapse is the last thing you need."

"Ned!" Molly exclaimed, as if insulted. But deep down, she knew the last thing she should be doing is reaching for alcohol. Especially when she was so emotional. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm just…I'm scared. I don't know what to do about Fi and it's scaring me. What if…what if it happens again?"

Picking up the chopping from where Molly had left off, Irene reasoned, "Mol, Rick's car crash was a freak accident. You know that, Ned knows that, I know that. Weird stuff might've been the reason he was in the car, but it wasn't what killed him."

"And that's so different from what happened to Fi in Manhattan?" Molly snapped. She felt somewhat smug when her friends grew quiet, noting the odd similarities. The supernatural hadn't been what pushed Fi off that roof. But it was what led her to be there in the first place.

"I'll admit, that it was a strange coincidence," Ned said, sitting back down on the stool. "But that's all it was. A coincidence."

Sinking into another stool, Molly replied, "But also a reminder that it _can_ happen again. Why can't she see that? Why can't she see that she's going down the exact same road her father did?"

"Because she's a teenager. Duh!" Irene exclaimed. "All she knows is, she's not happy. Therefore, it's your fault. Teenagers don't care that what their parents do is 'good for them'! All they see is that you're not doing, saying what they want you to do! Right now, Fi wants you to support her 'hobby,' for lack of a better term. But all you're doing is keeping her down, insulting her 'passion.'"

Ned nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Saying that what she loves is wrong and doesn't exist…it's probably high up there on the list of 'Stuff Not to Do When Raising a Teenager.'"

"But it _is_ wrong, and it _doesn't_ exist! At least I'm pretty sure," Molly argued. "It's not like she wants to be a famous singer or actress. _That_ I can deal with. But this paranormal stuff? What am I supposed to do, tell her 'it's okay to believe in this, even though it'll ruin your life'?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Irene explained, "I wouldn't phrase it like that. This whole thing is just a phase. Kids go through them all the time. Sooner or later she's going to realize that paranormal investigators don't make much money, and she'll become interested in something else. You just have to hang in there until it fades."

"It didn't fade with Rick," Molly pointed out. "He'd been investigating this stuff since he was Fi's age. I don't want her to live like he did."

Ned and Irene traded exasperated glances. Finally, Ned said, "Mol, I think you're missing a big point here. Fiona is her own person. At sixteen-years-old, she's going to start deciding how she wants to live her life. Whether she has your stamp of approval or not. So, you can swallow your pride and stick by her now…"

"Or," Irene added. "Wait until ten years from now, when her boyfriends ask about her parents, and she answers, 'my mother never supported me, so I don't talk to her much now. I see her every Christmas, though.'"

The painted picture had its desired effect. Molly winced, horrified by the thought of being estranged from her daughter. But even she had to admit that the scenario was a terrifying possibility. _Look at yourself now,_ Molly realized. _Your dad never supported you. And, how often did you see him once you left home?_ Swallowing the lump her throat, she nodded. "I-I'll talk to her."

* * *

Jack went down the stairs after getting washed for dinner. He, his family, and the Bells were having dinner together at the adults' insistence before the teens went out for the night. Running a hand through his hair, Jack groaned at the thought of sitting at the same table as both his sister and his mother.

The mere dynamics of the situation gave him a headache. He was angry at Fi. Fi was either angry or hurt by him – her expression had been unreadable after his outburst, to the point where he wasn't sure if his argument had hit home or angered her further. Fi was also furious at their mother. Their mother was…actually, Jack wasn't sure what his mother's response had been, except that when he saw her since then, she'd seemed on the verge of tears. He really only knew of Fi's side. Come to think of it, he didn't even know what had triggered the fight itself. Fi investigating the paranormal and his mother refusing to support it was nothing new.

All he did know was that this would be one interesting dinner.

He stopped short when the front door opened and the Bell brothers walked in. "Hey, guys," Jack greeted, then remarked dryly, "Right on time for dinner, I see."

"Aren't we always?" Carey replied, passing Jack on his way to the kitchen. As if remembering something, he stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Right. Do I want to go in there?"

"Mom's in the kitchen and Fi's upstairs. For now," Jack answered. But he reminded himself that he should call up and tell her that dinner was almost ready, like his mother had done about ten minutes ago. Fi must've heard her, but was refusing to be prompt because of both a petty move in their ongoing feud, and taking more time to get ready to go to the mall with her best friend Candy. "Not for long, though," Jack said to his friends, then yelled up the stairs, "Fi! Get your butt down here for dinner – Clu and Carey are here!"

There was no response, but in about two seconds Fi came down the stairs, directing a cold glare at her brother. "I was _ready_. See? I _cared_ enough to come down for guests." With unneeded emphasis on her words, she said, "_hi_ Clu, _hi_ Carey," before going off in the direction of the kitchen.

Once she was out of sight, Clu rubbed his shoulders, as if for warmth. "Man, is it just me, or is it colder in here?"

"I know. That was _so_ mature, right?" Jack remarked, glaring after her sister. But he felt no guilt. He'd simply pointed out the obvious yesterday. If she was angry about having to face her self-centered attitude, it wasn't his fault. "Come on, dinner's going to be ready soon."

Carey paused. "On second thought, we could skip this and just get stuff at the movies. You know they sell hot dogs and nachos now? That's meal enough for me." The guys were going to the movies with some of Clu's college friends who lived nearby.

Among the large group were three girls arranged to be their dates for the evening. Jack was a little nervous – he hadn't done much dating compared to the average guy his age, thanks to always being on the road. But the outing was something to do on a Saturday night.

"Nah, I don't think it would help the situation any," Jack reasoned. "With World War III going on here, skipping out on dinner might be seen as offensive strategy."

"Good point, dude," Clu said, chuckling.

On their way into the kitchen, Carey said, "Well, Jack, look on the bright side."

"Please, enlighten me," Jack replied.

Carey smirked as he said, "If you ever wanted to know what hell was like, this is sure to be a little preview."

"Ha, ha, ha," Jack remarked, glaring at Carey while Clu burst out laughing.


	5. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far! I'm so glad people are reading this!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

After a busy night of cruising the mall with Candy, Fiona spent her Sunday slumped in her desk chair in front of the computer doing research. Last night was meant to be hanging out with a _few_ of Candy's friends from school. Instead, a "few" friends turned into about ten, some of which knew the college students in her brother's group, which had been at the mall's movie theater.

The ending result had been a massive group of teenagers roaming Hope Springs Center Mall. Fi was a little overwhelmed, since she wasn't used to being around so many kids her own age, but ended up having a good time despite her brother's presence. From what she saw, he'd loosened up since he left the house, but grew tense and tended to ignore her whenever the two happened to come near each other.

This didn't go unnoticed by their friends, old and new. The Bells and a few of their closest friends had decided to run an intervention after the tense brother/sister fight began to affect everyone else's moods as well.

_Fi sat in a plastic food court chair, playing with the spoon in her ice cream but not actually eating any of the Rocky Road. Across from her, her brother sat with a sour look on his face and his arms crossed on the table top._

"_This is none of anyone's business," Fi snapped. She and her brother were a little queasy about having their private family feud brought out for fifteen teenagers to see._

_Jack nodded. "For once, I agree with her."_

"_But this has to stop, dude!" Clu exclaimed. He was sitting in a chair to Fi's left, while Carey sat next to him with the chair backwards. To Fi's right was Candy, sitting with her legs crossed and hands in her lap. _

_The rest of their friends sat at various surrounding tables in a circle, eager to watch the show._

_Sighing, Jack replied, "We appreciate that you care, guys. But this has been a sore spot with Fi and I for a _long_ time. Running a little intervention after dessert isn't going to do anything."_

"_Yeah. He thinks I'm a self-centered nutcase, and I think he's a close-minded, stubborn mule. What's there to discuss?" Fi said._

_Carey raised an eyebrow at her. "I think that was a little uncalled for, Fi. Come on, try to be civil to one another."_

"_Oh, _I'm_ being perfectly civil," Jack argued._

"_I'm sure you are," Candy retorted. "But that's not good enough. You're brother and sister! I'm not saying you have to be best of friends, but this is nuts. What _happened_? Does it have to do with Fi's paranormal stuff?"_

_Both Fiona and Jack groaned as the teens gathered around them raised eyebrows or gasped. _Great, _more_ people are going to think I'm a freak,_ Fi thought. While open about her interests around her family, she tended to turn it down when among people her age, or when she used to be in school full time. Sighing, she gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, Candy, it does."_

_Noting the stares of those around them, Candy gave Fi a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Fi."_

_Changing the subject, Carey said, "Okay, you both know why this fight is happening. Jack needs to be more supportive; Fi needs to tone it down. Go."_

"_Fine," Jack said. Then, for the sake of ending this spectacle, said, "Fi, I know I rag on you more than I should about this. I guess it comes down to that I feel responsible for your safety, and that day in Manhattan didn't help. I'm sorry for not supporting you, but I just can't understand why you have to do this stuff."_

_Surprised by her brother's calm and honest confession, Fiona decided to return the favor. "Jack, I don't understand either. You have to get that this just happens to me and I don't know why, and…I can't deny it. The reason I want you and mom behind me is…I'm scared, Jack. I'm scared that if you don't support me, I'll lose you. I'll lose everyone. And I let that take over sometimes. But I know that it's hard for you, and I guess I just forget sometimes that this stuff is difficult for people to deal with or talk about." She paused, pretending to put a strand of hair back behind her ear while wiping her tearing eye. "I'm sorry."_

"_I'm sorry too," Jack replied, surprising her once again. "It wouldn't kill me to open my mind a little. Like, this much," he joked, holding up his thumb and index finger so that they were almost touching. "At the very least, I'll try not to make fun of you for it."_

_Fi laughed, out of relief and humor. "Thanks."_

"_Aw…" the crowd around them chorused._

Snapping out of it, Fiona let out a contented sigh. Jack's words weren't the vow of support and love she had been hoping for, but it was a start. And she had meant what she said about lessening her supernatural talk. Maybe if she wasn't throwing her beliefs in their faces all the time, they'd be more inclined to accept them.

But that didn't mean she had to tone it down when she was alone. After all, she still had a demon to research.

Clicking on yet another paranormal investigator's webpage, Fi began to read, "'Demons tend to resemble condensed shadows in their natural form…'"

* * *

Molly sat on her living room couch, guitar on her lap. She was reworking the melody to "One in a Million" and was struggling to find the right sound. For that reason, she'd swallowed her pride and asked Fi for Rick's guitar. Sometimes, when she used the guitar, she got the sharpest visual images in her mind of Rick and her together while playing it. She dismissed the sensation as bringing back memories, and with that reasoning was able to take comfort in the images rather than freak out over them.

"Who would ever guess, out of all the rest…" Molly sang in a quiet voice, the one she used when she usually sang lyrics to herself.

"_That you would be here with me."_

Molly's head snapped up in the direction of the stairs. "Rick?" she whispered. The low but clear voice had definitely been his, she was sure of it. The only question was whether it had been in her head or not.

As she contemplated her potential insanity, Fiona came down the stairs, bent over and going slow…her intent on sneaking past quite obvious. "Hey, baby," Molly called.

"Oh, uh, hi," Fi replied, stopping in her tracks. She stood there and made no move to go into the living room. "I, uh, just came down to get my video camera I left in the kitchen. Candy said she swears the house down the street is haunted and…" Fi trailed off and lowered her eyes in shame. "Right, sorry. So I'm just gonna go over to Candy's in a little while."

Ignoring the slip, Molly nodded. "Sure, that's fine. You know your curfew."

"Yeah. Well, see ya," Fi said and began to make a beeline towards the kitchen.

_It's now or never,_ Molly realized, for no apparent reason. A shiver ran down her spine, urging her to call to Fi. "Fi! Wait!"

"What?" Fi replied, almost with an attitude.

Leaning the guitar against the side of the couch closest to her, Molly patted the empty couch cushion. "Come. Sit."

Fiona hesitated, but went to sit at the designated end of the couch. "What's up?"

"You know what's up," Molly replied. "We never really talked about the other day."

Shrugging, Fi said, "I didn't think there was anything to talk about. We never talk about these fights."

Molly fought the desire to wince. The way she said "these fights" so casually revealed so much. "That's just it, Fiona. 'These fights.' We shouldn't be like this. I went through it once, and I don't want to go through it again."

Her face paling at the inadvertent mention of her father, Fiona said, "I'm listening."

"You have to understand…this isn't easy for me. Knowing that you do this and there's nothing I can do about it," Molly began. "I…I can't get it, how you can just have all this faith in what you believe in, when it isn't considered typical…or even sane, by some people. And it scares me that you'll be judged by your beliefs your whole life. In fact, it terrifies me..."

Fi's expression hardened. "Mom, that's for me to deal…"

"Fi, please, let me finish," Molly said. "B-but, it terrifies me more that I might lose you. And not just like I lost your father. There are other ways to lose people, you know. And while I was afraid that I'd lose you if you're consumed by this…I realized that I stand more of a chance if I don't support you. What I've forgotten, Fiona, is that you're not a little girl anymore. You're almost an adult and capable of deciding how you want to live your life. And it occurred to me that, if I don't fit into that life…you'll leave me behind."

There was a brief silence, and then to Molly's complete surprise, Fiona let out a chuckle. "What's so funny?" Molly demanded.

Waving a dismissive hand, Fiona explained, "It's not you. It's…well, I think it's safe to say that this family has their fair share of abandonment issues." At her mother's confused glance, she continued, "Why do you think I want you to support me so much, Mom? I _know_ that what I do means that I'll lose a lot of people in my life. Contrary to what you and Jack think, I didn't choose this…it chose me. And I'll never be able to stop no matter what I do. _That's_ what terrifies _me_. All along, I just want you to believe me, support me, because…I'll know that means you'll always be there for me."

Molly paused for a moment to take in that new information. While she'd spent all this time deterring Fiona from what she thought of as an odd obsession, Fiona had been thinking that the discouragement meant she would have to live her life without her family in it. Overwhelmed, Molly wrapped her daughter in a tight hug. "Fiona, you're my daughter and I love you. No amount of paranormal research will ever change that. Just because I might not believe you, doesn't mean I don't love you," Molly insisted.

When they broke apart, Fiona said, "I always thought that…you were embarrassed of me. That was why you wanted me to stop. Because I wasn't normal."

"Well, I think even you have to agree that that your interests aren't normal," Molly reasoned while Fi managed a weak smile. "But you? One-hundred-percent normal. In this family, at least. I don't know if I tell you that enough. And…I can't say I'm going to believe you every time. Because I know I won't. But I'll never think any less of you for believing it yourself. I never do."

"Thanks, Mom," Fiona said. Then, as they both sat in reflective silence, Fi laughed. "You know, if this were a sitcom, this would be the mushy part where the soft music starts in the background."

Molly began to laugh, but stopped with a gasp. As if on cue, the stereo had been turned on and began to play the clip of "Another World" her and Irene had listened to the other day. Fi raised her eyebrow and slowly turned in the direction of the stereo. "So…what are we going to do about Daddy?"

"I…I don't know," Molly answered honestly. Fi waited until the song was over before resuming her original goal of getting her video camera from the kitchen.

* * *

"Junk mail, junk mail, junk mail…" Jack muttered to himself. He was sitting at the kitchen table, his laptop open and wireless mouse connected. Supposed to be working on his homework to be handed in to Mr. B the next day, he'd chosen to work in the kitchen since it would be less distracting than the computer and video games in his room. With that reasoning, he figured that taking a break and checking his email every now and then couldn't hurt. After all, he could be playing his new video game he got from the store.

But the kitchen wasn't the best workspace either. He could still hear the sounds of his mother's playing, which was distracting since he'd been meaning to talk to her. It was almost dinner time, yet he hadn't really been around his family all day. Fiona had left for Candy's house hours ago, and his mother seemed to be determined to rework her new song. While he'd made up with his sister at the mall last night, he had yet to get his mother's side of the situation at hand.

Which he still had no clue about, despite having dinner with her the night before.

The dinner hadn't been as disastrous as he, Clu and Carey had predicted. Even with all the apprehension, there had been no shouting, insults, or downright arguing.

But the dead silence had almost been worse.

Everyone had been civil to each other when the food was being served and all took their seats. But once the dinner actually began, it seemed as if no one could remember how to talk and eat at the same time. He, his sister and mother had their own reasons for not speaking, too wrapped up in their own thoughts and anger to make small talk. Jack also suspected that neither wanted to say anything, for fear that the imagined fighting would lead to all hell breaking loose. Likewise, after a few weak attempts at conversation, the Bells contented themselves with keeping quiet and eating their dinner as fast as they could without choking.

Seven people sitting at a table, and there was total silence. Never mind a knife; Jack would've a needed a chainsaw to cut through that tension.

Thankfully, he, Clu, and Carey were the first ones done. They threw out their paper plates and plastic utensils – common for combined "family" dinners like this – and ran out the back door, not daring to say good-bye. Once outside, the three boys let out simultaneous deep breaths, gasping for air as if the dinner had taken place underwater.

After a night like that, it almost made sense that the tension had carried over into his and Fi's night out with their friends. Jack couldn't be more grateful that the ordeal was over with.

Sighing, Jack clicked through the seemingly more enormous than usual batch of junk mail that had accumulated in his inbox. A familiar email address caught his eye, however, and he was about to click on it when…

"Hey, baby, how's the homework coming?" Molly asked, walking into the kitchen.

Jack almost jumped out of his skin. "How are you so quiet? I didn't hear you at all!"

"Maybe you'd hear me if you weren't lost in your virtual world," Molly teased, taking a glass out of the cabinets. "I swear, how both of _my_ kids grew up to be tech-obsessed, I'll never know."

Chuckling, Jack paused to take in his mother's mood. She seemed okay for someone who was supposed to be in a fight with her daughter. In fact, she seemed more upbeat than typical. "I take it you and Fi made up?" he asked.

"Yeah, we talked before she left for Candy's house," Molly answered. She filled the glass up with water from the sink and took a sip. "Everything's okay…for now. Just cleared up some long-time miscommunication."

"What got you both started this time?" Jack asked.

He wrinkled his brow in confusion when she appeared to be like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, the water glass stopping an inch away from her mouth. She then shook her head and answered, "O-oh, uh, no real start…you know how it just happens sometimes."

"Right," Jack said. He considered calling her on her deliberate vagueness, but decided to let it go for the sake of peace in the household. Chances were that he really didn't want to know anyway. "Well, at least we're all back to normal. At least, as normal as this family can be."

Laughing, Molly paused and gave him a sideways look. "'We'? Did you and Fi have a fight?"

Jack was about to explain what happened, but hesitated and remembered his quest for household peace. If his mother could be evasive, so could he. "Yeah, but it was just a little aftershock of yours. No big deal."

"That's good," Molly said, taking another sip of her water. The momentary silence was broken when the kitchen phone rang. Picking it up, she said, "Hello? Hey, Fi…"

While his mother walked around the kitchen on the phone, Jack went back to his email. It had Gabe's email address attached to it. Eagerly he clicked it open.

_Hey, Jack! Check out this cool __link__!_

Jack stared at it for a moment, surprised by his friend's unusual briefness. Gabe wasn't the type to just forward over a link with no explanation. There wasn't even her trademark 'love, Gabe' at the end. But, the email address said it was from her, right?

So, ignoring the strange, faint voice in his head telling him not to, he clicked the link.

"…so, you'll be home soon?" Molly was saying on the phone. Then there was a loud, static rustle as the call disconnected. "Fi? Fi? Fiona!" she yelled into the receiver. Holding the receiver away from her ear, Molly stared at it with confusion. "That's odd…"

But Jack was too busy staring at his computer screen with his mouth hanging open to pay much attention to the phone's low connectivity. Why would Gabe send him _this_?

Instead of the usual mail window, his screen had gone blacker than he'd ever seen it. Except for the three triangles with touching points and a circle around them, all outlined in bright red.


	6. Chapter 4

A/N: Now until the end of this part, this is going to be in a shorter two-section format. I'll probably switch back to three in the next part.

Also, not that anyone cares, but I stole Jack's very last line in this from an episode of "Friends." It popped in my head and I couldn't resist, lol.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Fiona got home about a half hour before her ten 'o clock curfew. Her best friend's house was in the neighborhood, so she'd walked there and home. The two had a fun day investigating the house down the block, and when they were chased away by the house's owner, retreated to Candy's house to edit the footage. There hadn't been any real ghosts as far as they could tell, but it was still spooky enough that Fi couldn't wait to get home and post the short movie that was their finished product on her website.

Slinging the bag that contained her video camera and movie CD over her shoulder, Fiona peeked into the living room, then the kitchen looking for her family. "Mom? Jack?" she shouted. Puzzled when both rooms were empty, she checked the dining room and small den, the only other rooms on the floor. She then ran upstairs.

_Mom's probably playing her guitar in her room, and Jack must have his headphones on listening to music or a computer game,_ Fi reasoned. But even as she tried to calm herself down, she could feel chills down her spine. "Mom? Jack?" she tried again, running into the upstairs hallway. She continued calling their names on the way, then reached her brother's room and knocked. She waited about two seconds for an answer before she pushed the door open.

Her brother wasn't there.

"_Jack_?" Fiona screamed, leaving the door open in her mad dash to her brother's room. "_Mom_? Please, answer me! Please!" When she reached her mother's room, she almost threw herself into the door, causing it to fly open.

And reveal another empty room.

That was when the warning bells went off in her head. Something happened.

The next thirty minutes or so were spent checking the entire house while yelling at the top of her lungs for her family. The attic, bathrooms, basement, closets, even the backyard. All were deserted. Finally, exhausted from her panic and thorough search, Fiona entered the house from the backyard and plopped down on a stool at the counter island.

She looked around the room for clues. An almost-full glass of water sat on the counter near the fridge. The phone was off the hook and on another part of the counter, the cord stretched across the open space. On the table were a textbook, a notebook, and Jack's laptop. The presented evidence suggested that her family left in a hurry. Which didn't make any sense…unless they were in trouble.

Grasping for one last reassurance, Fi headed into the living room to check the family's dry erase message board. Her hopes were gone almost as soon as they had formed – the white surface was blank.

"Okay, don't panic," Fi said to herself, pacing the living room with nervous energy. "Your instincts are telling you that something supernaturally bad happened. But for once, just try to think like Jack. Where could they have gone?"

Then it was as if a light bulb went off in her head. Of course, they went over to the Bells' house! "Duh," she whispered. "where else would they be at this hour?"

Realizing her bag was still over her shoulder, she threw it on the couch and searched through it for her cell phone, too anxious to run to the kitchen phone. The Bells' home number was first on her contact list. She pressed the phone to her ear while she listened to the rings. "Come on, pick up…"

"_Hello?"_

"Mrs. B!" Fi cried into the phone, her panic emerging. "Mrs. B! A-are Mom and Jack at your house?"

_There was a short pause. __"Fi, I'm sorry – they're not here. They wouldn't be at this time of night. Sweetie, what's the matter? You sound upset."_

_Upset?_ Fi thought. _Try "on the verge of a nervous breakdown."_ At Irene's answer, her heart started pounding like crazy, and her palm had gotten so sweaty she had to tighten her grip on the phone so much her knuckles were turning white. "Mom and Jack aren't here!" she wailed. "I-I just came home from Candy's. I-I talked to Mom…an _hour_ ago on the phone. She didn't say she wouldn't be here! It's almost eleven, there's no note, the house is empty, there's a glass of water on the counter and books on the table…"

"_Oh, God," Irene whispered. Then to Fi, she said, "Okay, honey, just try to keep calm. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this. Ned and I will be there in five minutes."_

"Thank you. Hurry, please," Fi whimpered, hanging up the phone and sinking into the couch. She attempted to calm herself by thinking of where they could've gone. But for every solution, she came up with a counter-reason for why it didn't make sense.

And every intuitive sense in her body told her that paranormal foul play had taken place.

* * *

The next morning, Molly got up with a sense of vague uneasiness. She often felt it whenever she was staying in a hotel room, that common disorientation one experienced when waking up in somewhere other than his or her own bed.

But…she _was_ in her own bed. In her own room. So why did she feel so uneasy?

Shaking off the odd sensation, Molly went through her normal morning routine – shower, getting dressed, doing her hair. In her head she went through the list of what she had to do that day…the recording session, meeting with representatives from her record label, calling up the local morning talk show to agree to an appearance. When she was dressed and ready, she passed her children's empty rooms on her way downstairs.

"Good morning, baby," Molly greeted, walking into the kitchen to see Jack pouring himself a bowl of cereal. She stopped, noticing that her youngest child wasn't there. "Where's Fi? She wasn't in her room. And what are you doing up?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, didn't feel like sleeping in. And I thought Fi was in her room. Maybe she left to hang out with Clu or Carey? Candy?"

"It's not like her to be out and about this early," Molly answered. She quickly checked the message board and saw that it was clear. The briefest shiver of concern coursed through her as she went back into the kitchen to join her son. "There's no message."

"Relax, Mom. Maybe she just forgot. Try her cell phone," Jack suggested.

Molly picked up the kitchen phone and called Fi's cell. When it didn't even ring, Molly checked to make sure the phone was on before redialing. Again, no response. "That's odd…" she said, and received some déjà vu when she realized she'd said the same thing last night when her call to Fi was disconnected. After that, she'd…she'd…

Her eyes widened when she realized she didn't remember what she did last night, not even going to bed. "Jack, this is going to sound crazy, but…what did I do last night?"

"You don't remember?" Jack asked, as if the answer should be obvious. "You…you…" he trailed off, wrinkling his brow in confusion. He then tilted his head and stopped pouring milk into his cereal. "Come to think of it, I don't even remember what _I_ did last night. Weird, huh?"

Staring at him, Molly said, "Jack, that's not just weird…Fi's missing, the phone doesn't work, our memory…"

"Mom, do you hear yourself? Sometimes I think you're more like Fi than you let on," Jack scoffed, mixing his cereal and taking a bite.

Molly shook her head and laughed. "You know what, you're right. There's a perfectly good explanation for all of this and I'm getting worked up for nothing. Like…the phone. Maybe it's just not working." With that, she grabbed her cell phone off the counter and dialed Fi's number. Once again she didn't even hear a dial tone…

…because suddenly she wasn't holding the phone anymore. Gasping, she stared at her empty hand in shock as she pulled it away from her ear.

"What is it, Mom?" Jack asked when he turned around to see what made her gasp.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she asked, "Jack…did y-you see that?"

"See what? Why are you staring at your hand like that? Weren't you going to use your cell to call Fi?" Jack asked, continuing to eat his cereal.

Still stunned, Molly insisted, "B-But I _did_…I mean, I was, and…the phone just…" Realizing she wasn't going to be able to convince her cynical son of anything, she let it drop…not before understanding, if only a little bit, what Fi must feel like all the time. "Never mind. Look, Jack, I know you don't think so, but something _very_ weird is going on here. Not only weird…_wrong_."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her, but then sighed and put down his cereal. "If it'll make you feel better, do you want to go to the Bells' house? Maybe they know what's going on."

"I love you, Jack," Molly said, hugging her son for his patience. "Come on, let's go."

They grabbed their jackets and went out the front door, Jack leaving his unfinished bowl of cereal on the counter. Once they were outside, they noticed that the neighborhood was quiet. Quiet, as in deserted.

"Where _is_ everybody?" Jack wondered aloud, echoing Molly's thoughts.

Molly was puzzled as well. Usually at this hour on a weekday there were parents getting their children into cars to be driven to school, kids walking their dogs before school, or adults fitting in a jog before work. But instead there was…no one. In fact, there was no sign of life in the entire neighborhood except for her and Jack. Molly was astonished when she realized that there weren't even any birds or squirrels. "Jack, this place is a ghost town! What is going _on_?"

"Well, whatever is, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for it," Jack said. But even he sounded like he was forcing the protest.

"Yeah," Molly agreed, but her voice was faint as she was overcome with another wave of déjà vu, this one intense. "Jack…do you feel like this has happened before?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, Jack answered, "Uh, not really. Déjà vu isn't really my thing."

They reached the corner and turned. Both of them froze, their jaws dropping in horrified shock.

The street went own maybe half the way…and ended at a huge black wall that blocked their view of anything beyond in any direction. The wall was covered in a red-lined computer grid, with lined graphics of house outlines spread out in place of the street.

Then it hit her. Molly's eyes widened, her, Carey and Jack's experiences coming back to her in a blinding flash. A quick glance at Jack's expression of recognition proved that he remembered as well.

Managing to find his voice, Jack breathed, "But, you know, a man can change."

"I can't believe this," Molly said, unable to do anything else but stare up at the wall in amazed shock. "Not again."


	7. Chapter 5

A/N: The episode this entire fic is based on was called "Avatar." The episode slot was originally designed to give Cara some time off and the original script about Carey and a drinking problem. Disney had a problem with it so the writers came up with the episode that was shown..

It was an okay episode – that kid at the end really annoys me, so whenever I watch on Youtube I always stop when he makes his entrance. And the episode would've been way better if Fi had been there as well. But being the internet nut that I am it's one of my favorite concepts. Basically I'm taking what I liked about the episode and working it to meet my literary needs. Since the whole show is partially about her website, I figured that an epic revolving around the internet would be appropriate, lol.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Staring at the black wall, Jack was having an internal struggle. He didn't _want_ to believe what he was seeing. He didn't _want_ to remember his other trip into virtual reality. He didn't _want_ to admit that overnight, something strange had happened to them. Yet at the same time…

He believed.

He remembered.

And if he ever wanted to get lost in denial of strange happenings, now was not the time.

But at least he could take comfort in knowing what was going on. Well, what he thought he knew, anyway. "I'm going to kill him."

Surprised, his mother glanced at him with confusion. "Who?"

"Jordan!" Jack exclaimed, stunned that his mother wasn't as outraged as he was. "That little _kid_ trapped us in here again! I let you deal with him last time, but this time I'm going to rip him to shreds if he doesn't…"

Molly folded her arms across her stomach. "You _let_ me?"

Pausing mid-rant, Jack calmed and gave her a weak smile. "I-I…u-h…of course I _meant_, that…"

"Jack, just because you're the 'man of the house' does _not_ mean you're in charge. I'm still your mother," Molly snapped.

Recoiling at the startling anger, Jack could only nod and reply, "Yes, Mom."

"Good," Molly said, unfolding her arms and turning back to the wall. "Now, it would be easier if we could blame Jordan for this. But we can't. When he did this before, he took himself out of his virtual home with us."

"But that doesn't mean he couldn't have put himself back in –"

"Let me finish," Molly interrupted. "And we never got an email from him. Remember? Last time he sent Fi that link."

Jack paused, acknowledging that she had a good point. Then his eyes widened as the faint memory of last night came back to him. _What _is_ that?_ Jack wondered again. _Why can't I remember last night?_ Shaking his head, he replied, "But I _did_ get an email, Mom."

"And you clicked on the link?" Molly asked incredulously.

"No, it didn't say it was from Jordan," Jack explained. "The email said it was from Gabe. But all it said was 'hey! Check out this link!' It didn't sound like her, but it _was_ her email address, so…I clicked it."

Raising an eyebrow at him, Molly pressed, "_And_?"

"And…my computer screen blacked out except for this weird symbol outlined in…" Jack trailed off, glancing back at the wall. "…red. Wasn't that wall green before?"

Doing a double-take at the lines, Molly said, "Oh, yeah. So, wait, you're telling me that, based on those facts, _Gabe_ did this to us?"

"No! That's ridiculous!" Jack argued. "Gabe would never do this, and last time I checked she wasn't a computer genius. Someone had to access her account and send that link from Gabe's address so that I would click on it."

As they took in that information, Molly pointed out, "So…you're saying that someone wants us so bad that they're willing to hack Gabe's email just to get to us? I don't like this at all, Jack. I mean, Jordan sent that link, but he wasn't an evil mastermind."

"I beg to differ," Jack muttered under his breath. Any kid who created a virtual prison for his sister definitely deserved the title.

But on the other hand, his mother had a point. Jordan was still a kid. A kid who wouldn't have the expertise to first find out about Gabe and then hack her email account.

Of course, any kid who could pull people into a computer could probably hack into anything.

Still, it wasn't making sense. Jordan had seemed content to go back to the real world the last time they had seen him. Why would he be doing this again?

"Okay, so maybe Jordan isn't behind this," Jack said. Unable to concentrate with that wall staring back at him, he turned around and began walking down the street, his mother following. "We just need to figure out who is and why. And then how to get them to let us out."

"Well, whoever did this must want to trap us for a reason. Do we have any enemies?" Molly asked.

Jack thought about it for a moment before answering, "No…I don't think so. Unless there's something you're not telling me."

"Ha ha. I never knew _anyone_ who could…" Molly paused as her eyes widened. "You don't think…"

Jack scoffed at her. "Mom, I find it hard to believe that Tad's a genius as it is. You'd have a really hard time convincing me he's an _evil_ genius…" Jack heisted, then smirked at her. "Besides, why would he want _me_ here too?"

Glaring at him, Molly chided, "Jack, that's not funny. This is serious."

"I _know_ that," Jack said. "But…what are we even doing this for, anyway? This _is_ a kidnapping after all. Sooner or later the evil mastermind is going to come to us, gloating about his brilliant plan."

"This is _not_ a spy movie, Jack!" Molly almost yelled, exasperated at his seemingly nonchalant attitude.

Jack hung his head, knowing she was right but not quite understanding why he was acting this way about a very serious situation. Maybe it was stress.

"I have to say, it is sad what Hollywood has done to society. Humans are so jaded nowadays. Us demons have to work twice as hard just to get a good scare."

His eyes widening, Jack and his mother traded horrified looks as he felt his heart leap into his throat. The soft, baritone voice filled the space, sounding like it came from invisible, crystal clear surround-sound speakers.

Well, at least Jack knew now it wasn't Jordan.

Unless the kid's voice had changed _really_ early.

* * *

Fiona sat in her living room the day, her head resting on Carey's shoulder. She'd been a nervous wreck all day, just managing to keep it together enough to talk about what could've happened to her missing family with the Bells.

"What if…" Fi sobbed. Carey took a tissue from the side table and handed it to her. Using it to dab at her eyes, she continued, "Thanks, Carey. What if…what if M-Mom and J-Jack…"

His wife resting on his own shoulder, Ned gently prodded, "What, Fi?"

Fiona's voice came out in a near-understandable cry as she finished, "W-what if they w-were in an accident? Like Daddy?"

"Oh, sweetie, is that what you've been thinking?" Irene asked. She tried to make it seem like the idea was ridiculous, that there was no way that those missing could've been involved in any kind of accident.

But Fi and everyone else – including Irene herself – knew otherwise.

"Fi, I'm sure Mrs. P and Jack are fine," Clu said, sitting on Fi's other side. But his optimistic tone sounded forced. "Maybe they just…they…well, I dunno, but I'm sure they're gonna walk through that door any minute wondering why we're all sitting around worrying about them."

"Okay, so then…what could've happened to them?" Carey argued.

"They…they…" Clu trailed off, then made an exasperated noise. "Dude, I'm just trying to cheer Fi up!"

For some reason, that was what made her snap. Fi jumped off the couch and stood in front of the stunned onlookers. "I don't _want_ to be 'cheered up,' _okay_? My family is _missing_! I have every right to be upset! So stop acting like _I'm_ overreacting because I'm not, okay? I'm _not_! You all know they could be dead right now so stop being so damn _fake_!"

While she stood there panting with anger, Carey said in a near-whisper, "We know you're not overreacting, Fi."

"I know," Fiona replied quietly. Then, unable to stand their pitying looks, she whirled around and went upstairs to her room.

Slumping into her desk chair, she put her head on her desk.

She _knew_ she was unfair to the Bells. They meant well and she was grateful to have them around in her time of need. They were probably just so worried themselves that they didn't want to acknowledge that the worst could have happened.

But Fiona couldn't stand it. Ever since Ned and Irene came over the night before, they'd been nothing but reassuring and upbeat. After spending an hour or so thinking of possibilities, and disregarding every single one, the couple had told Fi to go to bed, and that they would wait up for Molly and Jack.

It hit Fi that her family wasn't coming back when, still wide awake at two in the morning, she heard Irene and Ned speaking in hushed voices on their way to the guest room. Their talk had not been hopeful.

That's why, when she woke up the next morning, she wanted to go right back to sleep. The idea of facing another day where she didn't know what happened to her family terrified her. But still, she got up to find Ned and Irene making breakfast in her kitchen, and Carey and Clu sitting at the counter island with rare, serious expressions on their faces. The next few hours were spent with more wondering about what could've happened and more of what they could do to find out.

Clu had suggested they call the police. While Fi and Carey were supportive of the idea, Ned and Irene pointed out the flaws in the plan. A person had to be missing for twenty-four hours for the police to take action. Not only that, but Molly was an adult who legally could go wherever she wanted. And despite the little things Fi noticed, there really wasn't any evidence to suggest foul play.

So all they could do was sit and wait.

At least, that was what _they_ thought.

Fi, however, was determined to find out what happened her way. After they'd shot down every logical option, _especially_ after, Fiona was convinced that the demons out to get her had done something to her family. She didn't have any idea what it could be, but all her instincts suggested demonic involvement.

But it was also frustrating because she had no idea what to do about it. While she'd explored the supernatural for years, she was totally in the dark about the demonic world and what creature could be after her.

Her gaze wandered over her desk as she booted up her computer and fell on her desk drawer. Then it hit her.

She might be in the dark. But she knew someone who might not be.

Rummaging through the bottom drawer, she said to herself, "Bricriu, where are you…" Finding the disk, she clicked onto her website and decided to check her email first.

As she did, however, her spell book on her desk suddenly opened on its own, the pages turning back and forth. "Daddy?" she whispered. Taking it as a sign, she closed the book and put it in her lap before clicked on the blinking mail icon.

Her eye was drawn to an email that had no return address. _How is that possible?_ Fi thought. Instinctively she hugged her spell book closer to her body as she clicked it open.

The simple words of the message had her heart pounding.

_Fiona, want to find out what happened to your family?_

_Click on this __link__!_

"That evil psycho…" Fi whispered, ready to let loose a string of curses at the demon behind this. Instead, she let out a deep, calming breath while she stuck the disk in her spell book. She was too blinded by worry for her family, anger, and curiosity to resist.

She put her hand over the mouse.


	8. Chapter 6

A/N: I meant to put this last chapter but forgot. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this short advertisement as part of my effort to broaden the So Weird fanfiction community.

Please check out and review my online friend medboflight's So Weird story, "After the End"! She's worked really hard on it and it honestly is very good. As the title suggests, it takes place about ten years after the show and catches us up with the gang's lives and introduces their OC O'Sianhan cousin, Daria (not too much of a Mary Sue…she's not annoying at all, promise!).

And now, back to regularly scheduled programming. Hey, it was less annoying than those pop-up ads, right?

* * *

**Chapter 6**

After clicking on the link, Fiona jumped out of her chair when her computer disappeared before her eyes.

"Okay, first my family, now my laptop," she said to the demon if he was listening, her hold on her spell book tightening. "You are _really_ asking for it."

"What'd I do now?"

Fi looked up to find Carey standing in her doorway, looking at her with concern. She stared at him at a loss for an explanation for why she was standing there holding onto a spell book for dear life. "N-nothing…I was talking to…to…" she trailed off and sighed. "I'm really sorry for exploding like that."

"It's okay, everyone understands that you're stressed," Carey replied. Then he glanced to her desk, which almost always had her computer on it. "Hey, where's your laptop?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Fi grumbled.

As she spoke, the desk disappeared before them.

Carey stared at the empty spot with his mouth hanging open. "Fi…what's going on?"

"I'm not sure," Fi said.

Within the next few seconds, the items of her room started vanishing at an increasing speed, to the point where it looked like whole sections of her room were disappearing at the same time.

"Fi! Fi!" Clu came running up the stairs, his parents following at a slower pace. "You gotta see it! Things keep…" he trailed off once he caught sight of her room. "So I see it hit you too, huh?"

"You don't think the same thing happened to Molly and Jack, do you?" Ned asked, earning him a glare and a semi-playful slap on the shoulder from his wife. "Ow!"

Taking in the suggestion, Fi said, "But that doesn't help us if we still don't know what's going on!"

"You mean you don't know, either?" Irene asked, surprised.

Fi shook her head. As she was about to reply, the walls around them vanished, only to be replaced by pure blackness.

They all glanced at each other in fright, then so slowly it could almost have been comical, looked down at the floor. And braced themselves.

The floor was gone in before either of them could look back up again.

Irene let out a shriek, wrapping her arms around her husband both for comfort and protection. The rest just closed their eyes and prayed that their landing pad was covered in a truckload of pillows.

But they didn't fall.

Fi opened one eye, then the other to find that the guys were doing the same. It was an odd sensation – the laws of gravity told her that she should be plummeting to her death. Instead, she felt as if she were standing on black glass. She tested out that idea, stomping her foot into the blackness, expecting to hit a hard surface…

Instead, her foot fell through and she toppled over. The weight of the spell book still in her arms sent her crashing into Carey. "Sorry," Fi said, embarrassed.

While Carey helped her regain her balance, Clu did a moon walk back and forth. "Cool! It's like those old _Road Runner_ cartoons! You know, where the coyote would walk off a ledge but wouldn't fall until he…he…" Clu trailed off and arched his head back. "Okay, I'm not looking down."

Amazed, Carey waved his arms around in the "dark" and said, "It's so strange. It's totally dark but I can see you all clearly."

"This is weird, and not in a good way," Fi said. "I wish we had some light in here."

As if someone had heard her, bright red lines shot around them, almost forming walls, a floor, and a ceiling while the lines multiplied. Soon enough, they stopped shooting around, leaving the group trapped in what looked like a room covered in computer-graphic wallpaper.

"That's a little better," Fi said timidly, mimicking the other's movements as she shielded her eyes from the bright glow.

* * *

Despite that the voice came from three different directions, Molly found herself pushed back a step when her son went to stand in front of her, his hand protectively on her shoulder. Noble as the gesture was, Molly felt like the roles should be reversed…the mother lion protecting her cub, and all that.

But she knew Jack wouldn't budge. So she compromised and wrapped her arms around his arm…both to satisfy her maternal instincts, and prevent Jack from doing something stupid should their captor decide to show himself. "What do you want?" she shouted

The voice replied, "Hm, I'm a demon, you're my human captives. You do the math."

Molly's eyes widened in horror for what seemed like the tenth time in the past hour. "Oh my God, Jack, he's going to…to…"

"Very good, Molly," the demon replied in a dry manner. "You uphold your psychic reputation."

"My _what_? You're crazy!" Molly retorted. But inside, confusion overwhelmed her. _I have a psychic reputation?_

Jack gave her a sideways glance. "Understatement much?"

"You know what, Jack, I like you," the demon replied. "You've got a good sarcastic streak. I'm still going to kill you, of course, but it's worth mentioning."

"Thanks. Don't I feel special," Jack snapped.

Irked by the demon's attitude, Molly remarked, "You know, you're awfully casual for an evil spirit."

"Like I said, it's all Hollywood. Most demons don't care for dramatics, unless it's in their plot design," the demon explained. "Although, I know a few who use it for pure entertainment. Like your friend Bricriu. That is one twisted spirit."

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black…" Jack muttered under his breath.

"Yeah…" Molly trailed off, the name sending off signals in her head. _I've heard that name somewhere before_, she thought. "Bricriu…"

"You don't remember him? That annoying, traitorous little thing…" the demon trailed off, then sighed. "Ah, well, I'm getting sidetracked. Awful habit of mine."

After a second, Jack asked, "So, what, you're just going to kill us now?"

Molly winced. That was the second time the word "kill" had been used. None of this seemed real. There was always the underlying fear and the intimidation of not being able to see what was talking to them, but the demon's casual words didn't match the tenseness of the situation. Molly had a feeling the demeanor was intentional, meant to make her and Jack confused on top of scared out of their minds. "Jack!" she whispered. "Please…don't."

"Sorry. Call me crazy, but I like to know if I'm going to be k…" Jack stopped, then corrected himself. "…to know what he's going to do to us."

"Well, here's the thing. I've got to keep you alive for a while for…personal reasons," the demon replied, but he sounded as if he didn't mind it too much. "That's always a dilemma, isn't it? What to do with your captives until you can off them."

"Oh, yeah. Sometimes it keeps me up at night," Jack grumbled, causing his mother to send him a warning glare.

Chuckling, the demon continued, "So I sat and thought, and realized that I've got a new virtual playground at my fingertips, why not see what this thing can do?"

"What do you mean?" Molly asked. A second later she wanted to take it back.

"Oh, you'll see. Virtual reality is the latest demonic tool – _great_ for mental torture. I've been itching to try it out. Consider yourselves guinea pigs."

"Yea, just what I've always – "

Fed up with her son's quips, Molly had elbowed him in the ribs with a look that clearly said _that's enough_. But she knew her son would be mortified if she yelled at him, so she'd just given his ribs a quick stab to cut him off. Thankfully, her son took the hint and quieted down.

But not before asking, "Hey, demon dude, quick question. Why are you doing this to us? I mean, what'd we ever do to you?"

"Maybe you would know that if you paid more attention to your sister," the demon replied. The nonchalant tone had gone dark for a brief moment at the last words, but went back to its regular tone and said, "Speaking of which, I've got other business to attend to. But don't worry, you won't be bored while I'm gone."

There was a ripple that made the air seem lighter as opposed to its former thickness. The demon was gone.

"Hurry back," Jack remarked. The demon gone, he broke apart from his mother and put his hands on his hips.

Without Jack to lean on, Molly bent her shaking knees and sat on the street curb. "…more attention to your sister…" Molly repeated, the words intensifying her already present fear. Her head in her hands, she sobbed, "J-Jack…he's after my baby. He's after Fi!"


	9. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far! Considering this category is not that busy, I'm thrilled that people are reading it. It's really fun for me planning and writing this out. I've gotta warn you though, from here on it's going to get weirder and weirder – I have a twisted creative mind and I'm not afraid to use it!

Speaking of that, this is the last chapter in this part. The next part, "Demon, Book II: Cyber" should be posted this week. I'm going to try to get the bulk of it, or all of it, done by the time college starts September 2nd. This part will focus more on Fi and the Bells' half of the story and their journey through cyberspace, but will update on Molly and Jack's situation every other chapter or so.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Don't be stu…"Jack trailed off, remembering just in time that he was talking to his mother and not his sister. Sighing, he turned around to face her. "Alright, this is a little overwhelming, so I can see how you might lose all sensibility at first. But Mom, seriously, do you really think that we're being held hostage by a _demon_?"

Offended, Molly looked up at him and replied, "Then by who?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. An internet geek with a crush on Fi who watches way too much _Charmed_? Remember, Jordan was willing to 'erase' us or whatever 'cause we wouldn't give him Fi. This is probably the same thing, just a copycat!"

"But the voice…and he mentioned Bricriu…" Molly argued.

_Bricriu…_Jack thought. The name had sounded familiar when the "demon" brought it up. Dismissing the idea, Jack said, "So? Any kid can get a voice editor these days. And Bri…Bri…_what_? What is that?"

"I'm not sure…" Molly confessed, her arms around her knees while she tried to place the name. "I've heard it before, though."

"Honestly, so have I. But that still doesn't mean anything," Jack said, frustrated. Why was she making this more confusing than it already was?

Thinking some more, Molly pointed out, "But this time, the email was sent to you. Wouldn't it have been sent to Fi again? How would a kid know about Gabe's email address? Or even to send it to you?"

"I don't _know_!" Jack shouted, pacing the street to work out his exasperated energy. "I don't _know_, I don't know, I don't _know_! Why are you doing this, huh? Why can't you just be reasonable?"

Molly jumped to her feet, her hands on her hips and anger on her face. "Don't you _dare_, Jack Phillips! I am your _mother_, _not_ your sister! Right now, trying to figure this out is what's keeping me sane at the moment! If I want to ask questions about this, you're going to have to damn well let me!"

Effectively put in his place, Jack lowered his eyes. He regretted losing his temper almost as soon as he did. His mother's outburst reminded him that this was stressing her out, too. "I-I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered, fighting back the tear in his eye. "It's just that…I don't _want_ to think that some evil nutcase is after my sister, okay? It's always been easier for me not to ask questions."

"I know, and I'm sorry too, baby," Molly replied as she calmed down. "But if we're going to get out of here…_alive_…we have to figure out what's going on. Until we do we're at the mercy of whoever, or _what_ever, is doing this." She paused, then let out an amazed chuckle. "'At the mercy.' This _does_ feel like a spy movie."

"Yeah. Kind of like that old one I was watching a week ago with the guys…" Jack paused, the words jogging something in his brain. He smiled at himself and shook his head.

It was so obvious.

Why didn't he think of this before?

Molly raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"This is all a dream!" Jack yelled with relief, throwing his arms in the air for emphasis. "This is all some crazy, stupid dream brought on by that spy movie I watched last week! Here we are terrified for our lives, and in reality I'm probably slumped over, sound asleep on my laptop!"

Staring at him with disbelief, Molly said, "Well, that's a possibility, but…I don't _feel_ like a figment of your imagination."

"Then maybe you're dreaming too!" Jack said. "Remember when the guys, Fi and I all had that same dream once? You said it was 'convergent dreaming' or something like that."

"You're willing to believe in convergent dreaming?" Molly asked.

"I'd be willing to believe _that_ before I'd believe we were sucked into some virtually simulated world," Jack argued. The reasoning made perfect sense to him and was better than being afraid of some demon thing out to kill him.

Molly didn't reply for a moment, taking in the theory with her head down in thought. Then she let out a long sigh and glanced back at him. "I don't think so, Jack. I'd like to believe it, but…I can't. It doesn't sit right. I'm still worried about what's going to happen, and…Fiona. Jack, I can't…I just have this intense feeling that she's in danger."

"It's just a feeling, Mom," Jack argued. If he really paid attention to his instincts, they were telling him that he was way off base with this dream theory. But he wasn't about to let her know that. It would only freak them both out more.

Right as she was about to reply, the scene around them changed.

The street scene they were in disappeared, leaving them on a red grid before it was replaced. Jack put a protective arm around his mother while she held onto him for reassurance. "What the…" Molly sputtered, looking around at their new surroundings.

"I guess this is what he meant when he said we wouldn't be bored," Jack replied, his own heart pounding in anticipation of the next scene.

Soon enough, the grid faded to another street. But this one was different…it was darker, more cluttered with store fronts and a subway station entrance.

_I don't like this at all,_ Jack thought. From the panicked, stunned expression on his mother's face, he could tell that she didn't either.

* * *

Once the lines had stopped moving and the light dimmed, Fiona lowered her arms, the book still in them, and began to take in the situation.

She was trapped. In a cyber box. With the Bell family.

This could _not_ be good.

"What is going on here…" Fi said to herself, wandering around the space. It was about the size of an average classroom, therefore fitting the five of them comfortably. But that didn't make it any less of a prison.

"You don't know, Fi?" Ned asked. "You're usually the expert in this department."

Shrugging, Fi wished she could be more helpful here. But what did she really know that wasn't speculation? "Sorry, I know about as much as you do."

"Then we're in big trouble," Carey remarked.

Just about recovered from some of the shock, Irene said, "Well, we're obviously dreaming, or something. This is impossible."

"Tell that to Fi's magic book," Clu said, pointing at the book.

…which was moving. Something punched up from inside it, causing it to shake and jump in her arms.

"Uh, Fi, I think your book is trying to say something," Carey said, disbelief in his voice.

Fi kept a tight grip on the book. She had a feeling she would need it and feared it would disappear along with the many other objects that had done in the past half hour or so. But it took all her strength to keep it from bouncing out of her arms.

However, the something causing all the racket shot out of the book, landing on the floor a few feet in front of her. The Bells jumped out of the way in case it exploded. Upon closer inspection, "it" turned out to be a familiar floppy disk.

"Oh no, Bricriu!" Fi exclaimed. She'd forgot she stuffed the spunkie's disk in her book before. About a week after the Manhattan incident, the spunkie had shown up trying to get her to read a spell that would remove her of her gift. Instead, when he went into her computer, she saved him to a disk, where he'd been ever since.

Glancing at her with confusion, Ned asked, "What's a Bricriu?"

"That's _who_ is Bricriu, ye ignorant human!" a voice sounded from the disk.

Clu stared in surprise. "Dude, I didn't know computer programs were Irish."

"And I'm _not_ a computer program, 'dude'!" Bricriu retorted. Finally, he burst through the disk and into the cell with them, a floating ball of light among four astounded adults and one angry teenage girl. "I am a spunkie! Get it right!"

Glaring at the spunkie, Fi demanded, "I'm warning you now. If you go into anyone's body, consider yourself banished!"

"Aye, calm down, little duck," Bricriu replied. "What spunkie in his right mind would go into a human's body when he's in the internet? So much more freedom than the human world allows when one doesn't have a body."

Fi had to admit she was a little relieved to hear that. "How did you get out of your cell, anyway? You can't do that at home."

"Oh, did you not hear me?" Bricriu answered, exasperated. "We're in the _internet_. No boundaries, no walls to hold me in! That disk is nothin' but a bunch of megabytes now. And, since ye evil witch had me trapped in there for a month, I'll be on me way now."

"'Evil witch'? I can't believe _you_ just called _me_ evil!" Fiona exclaimed.

Carey raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh, Fi, we're trapped in cyberspace with a talking ball of light. I don't think now is the time to get upset about name calling."

"What is a spunkie, anyway?" Irene asked, looking at Bricriu with curiosity.

"No more questions! I am out of here! Good bye, little duck!" Bricriu said. He flew towards the side wall, obviously expecting to go through the blackness into the rest of cyberspace. But instead, he crashed into it, bouncing back and spiraling before regaining composure. "What the…"

"Hah! You're stuck here just like us!" Fi taunted. Then she paused, wondering if that was best for their situation.

"Ye mock now, but this can only mean one thing," Bricriu replied. "This may be in the internet, but it's being shielded and kept up by magical power. And me guess would be evil power, too, with you being a force of good."

As the Bells turned to look at Fi, Carey asked, "_Fi's_ a force of good?"

"Aye, she must be, given all the evil she's encountered in the last two years," Bricriu replied.

"And the evil she's going to encounter now."

They all looked up at the deep voice, and even Bricriu remained still. Through the ceiling, a large, three-headed shadow creature revealed itself in the corner. "Thank you, Bricriu. There's nothing like a good lead-in," the demon added.

"Y-you! You pushed me off that roof!" Fi exclaimed, her body starting to shake with fright, holding onto the book for reassurance.

His jaw dropping in awe, Ned remarked, "Sorry, Fi, I guess it wasn't a bird."

"Bricriu, good to see you again, you traitorous wimp. Although I do have to say you never were afraid to return to the scene of a crime," the demon seethed at the spunkie.

Much to Fi's surprise, the spunkie seemed to shake with fright before flying to float behind Fi. Scoffing, the demon asked, "Typical. Is she your new master now?"

"Master? I don't think so! He…" Fi trailed off, putting two and two together. Glancing back at Bricriu with a horrified look on her face, she accused, "He was your _master_? Is he the one who told you to ask me to give up my sight?"

"Little duck! Ye have to understand, he found me after…"

"Silence, you fool!" the demon commanded. "Let's get this over with. Fiona, you may have noticed that your family is missing."

"What have you done to them?" Fi screamed, dismissing the issue with Bricriu and refocusing on the situation at hand. The other four around her were shocked into silence, horrified at the thought of Molly and Jack held hostage by this creature.

"Nothing…yet. They're being held in another corner of cyberspace. I have to say, that brother of yours is fairly witty," the demon answered.

Trying to keep her mind clear and sharp, Fiona replied, "What do you want? Why did you kidnap them?"

"Oh, isn't it obvious? I want your power," the demon said.

"I don't _have_ power," Fi retorted. She was growing more confused by the minute. Yes, she always seemed to encounter evil. But that was by chance. This demon had gone through the trouble of kidnapping her family…but why? What was so special about her? "The only thing I have is my sight. What could you possibly want with that?"

"You really think that you only…" the demon paused, as if reconsidering his next choice of words. "…Yes, yes, your sight. It's…it's not that _I_ want it, I just don't want _you_ to have it. Your meddling has caused too much trouble and worry just to leave it alone. So many evil creatures have fallen at your hand already, and that's without even trying. I want you to hand over your sight so that you stop these investigations."

Rubbing her index finger over her ring, Fiona said, "You honestly think I'm just going to hand it to you to spare evil creatures? Why don't you just kill me, huh?"

"Fi!" Irene and all three men whispered. Fi's choice of words didn't seem smart.

"You Phillips, always so noble," the demon sighed. "Trust me, it would be of great pleasure to kill you in one powerful blow. But, alas, your power is protected. Should you be killed by evil, your powers would go to the side of good…no matter who committed the act. Your father really knows how to put the Powers That Be to work for him, I'll give him that."

Fi's jaw dropped. "Daddy…Daddy protected my power?" _Maybe that's why he's sticks around as a ghost,_ she thought. _He knew that evil would come after me and that he needed to protect me. Now it almost makes sense why I've run into so much these past couple of years._

But the question still stood. Why did they come after her? _What was so special about her?_

"Why?" she screamed. "Why is evil coming after me? What did I do to them? Why can't they just leave me and my family alone?"

"Your naïveté amazes me, young Phillips. But, as I am not the cause of it, I see no reason to correct it," the demon replied.

Fiona paused as she deciphered the words. From what she could get, it was a fancy way of saying, "I know but I'm not telling." Letting out a frustrated sigh, she retorted, "So, I guess you're going to k…mur…hurt my family if I don't give my 'powers' to you?"

"You got it," the demon said.

Tilting her head, Fi replied, "And how do I know you'll let my family and I go when I do? That you won't just kill us as soon as you have my power?"

"Well, you don't," the demon answered. "But if it helps, I'm not the type to kill unless it's necessary. Most demons pick it as a hobby of choice, but I'd rather spend my time experimenting with technology and building a virtual empire. Call me odd."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Fi muttered. Actually, she found it weird and a little frightening that she had something in common with a demon – both of them had "different" hobbies.

But back to the situation at hand. Her first reaction was to do anything to get her family back safe and sound. However, she knew it wasn't simple. If she _did_ gave this demon whatever power she had, he would be that much more powerful and…who knew what bigger horrors he could release on the world? "I…I…I…" she paused, then glanced down at her spell book. She smiled, realizing she might just have a way out of this. "I need time to think about it."

"Fiona!" Irene and Carey whispered, confused that Fiona would be willing to give up her family.

Giving them a reassuring look, Fi turned back to the demon and said, "Like I said, I need time."

The demon hesitated before answering, "You know, I had a feeling this would happen. So I'll give you an hour. At least I'll definitely get a chance to try out some of my new virtual reality torture techniques. There was a second where I thought you'd fold and I'd have to find new guinea pigs." While his audience gaped at him with aghast looks on their faces, he added, "Oh, and I'll be taking that, thank you."

The next thing Fi knew, black sparks came from the demon towards her spell book. She dodged them while keeping it tight in her arms.

"Oh, now you've done it," the demon said. "I don't like it when my captives try to rebel. You're going to have to pay for that."

The five humans and spunkie gathered together at that, wondering what could possibly be heading their way. As they did, the demon lifted one of its head towards the ceiling, as if in a nod.

A black spark fell like a raindrop and hit Fiona's hand.

The instant pain shot up her arm, like pinching only much harder. She bit her lip to avoid crying out in pain.

"Oh my God, Fi, are you alright?" Carey asked.

"Yeah, I'm…" Fiona trailed off, seeing another spark drop in the far corner of the room. Then another. Then another. She glanced at the demon, but was very still, as if deep in concentration. Taking advantage of the distraction, she opened her spell book…

Only to have the light drizzle turn into a torrential downpour.

She screamed and fell to the ground, soon followed by Irene, Clu, Ned and Carey. Even Bricriu seemed affected, the ball of light trying to avoid spark drops while spiraling downward. Fiona tried to get up, but another wave would push her down. She couldn't tell if the others were conscious or not.

But she knew that she wouldn't be able to bear the pain any more. It felt like sharp pins were pinching her, enough to cover her body, all at the same time.

Though her vision blurry, she managed to see her book skid out in front of her and open to a page. Figuring that anything was better than this torture, she dragged the book close to her so she could make out the words and read,

_Brought here by another's will_

_That same force holds us here still_

"No!" the demon screamed. Another nod of his third head caused the black rain to fall harder. Streams of sparks caused the book to slide out of Fi's hand.

Managing to gather every last bit of strength left in her body, she crawled towards it through the downfall. With one last push of her legs she landed in front of the book. Lifting her head to read, she continued,

_This prison will not do at all_

_Take us now beyond these walls_

A soft, blue light glowed from the book and grew to encompass the group, leaving the demon on the other side of the makeshift shield. The relief overwhelming and still feeling the pain, Fiona had no choice but to allow herself to pass out.


End file.
